Sandberg decision applauded in Phillies' locker room

PHILADLPHIA — Ryne Sandberg had yet to manage a major-league game without an interim designation Sunday, yet already he’d received his first warm ovation.

That came in the Phillies’ clubhouse, when he was formally introduced to the players by general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. as their manager for the next three seasons.

“Well, they used one of my key lines: ‘I see ‘ya,’” Sandberg said. “So I heard about 40 ‘I see yas’; it’s one of the things I say. I heard some clapping. It was nice. I enjoy the ballplayers. I enjoy my players. I ask a lot of them, and we work together. And so that goes a long way, and I continue to do that. I want them to be the best players they can be and I want us to be the best team I can be.”

For Sandberg to succeed, he likely will need the support of the veteran nucleus, particularly those who had won a World Series in 2008.

Even after a 4-3 loss Sunday to the New York Mets, that didn’t appear to be a problem.

“You don’t see a guy of his baseball caliber come up through the minor leagues and spend a lot of time on a lot of buses,” Chase Utley said. “For him to get this opportunity, it is pretty cool.”

Jimmy Rollins said he was in the clubhouse hot tub when Amaro entered for the announcement --- one that he found soothing.

“The first day he came over and pretty much told me his agenda,” Rollins said. “I was fine with that. I never really have a problem with who is the head and what they want to get done. I have to do my part and figure out how to get the guys on board and push them in that direction.

“He’s a different energy. It definitely carries to the younger guys. The guys who have played for him, they know him well. They know the type of manager he is and his style. The other guys have gotten used to him. He’s a great baseball mind. It would be not smart to let him sit over there at third base when an opportunity like this was in place.”

Rollins acknowledged that Sandberg’s Hall of Fame playing career would add to his clubhouse stature … but only to a point.

“In spring training it meant a lot,” Rollins said. “After that, he was Ryne. A great mind. We talked the game. He brings a positive energy every single day. That comes much before being a Hall of Famer. It doesn’t make you a great guy or a great manager. He knows that.”

Carlos Ruiz may have heard his last chorus of “Chooooch.” The veteran catcher was 1-for-4 with a run scored Sunday, the Phils’ final home game of the season. He is without a contract for 2014.

“I think catching is a priority and that decision has to be made there,” Sandberg said. “I know Carlos has really come on the last month to five weeks and has really shown what he can do. That’s really all he can do for himself and that’s really a priority spot on the baseball field.”

If it was any indication of the Phillies’ leanings, Sandberg earlier had volunteered Ruiz’s name in a conversation about next season.

Michael Stutes has recovered from biceps tendinitis and is back with the Phillies. He last appeared June 27.

“I worked hard to get back last year and got back up here, and my body kind of gave out again,” the right-handed reliever. “It was a little frustrating, but it is good to be back up here. You can’t stop. There is no reason to quit. They were just two kind of minor injuries that took a while to heal from, but that weren’t anything major, nothing long-term.”

NOTES: The Phillies will open a three-game series Monday (7:10 p.m.) in Miami. Roy Halladay (4-4, 6.71 ERA) will oppose right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (3-6, 3.79.) Tuesday, it will be Zach Miner (0-1, 3.22) and right-hander Henderson Alvarez (4-5, 4.05). Cole Hamels (8-14, 3.62) and lefty Brad (1-1, 2.92) will pitch Wednesday … The Phillies drew 3,012,403 to Citizens Bank Park this season, including 44,398 Sunday, Fan Appreciation Day. Sandberg: “It was a good crowd. They stayed to the end and pushed the attendance over the three-million mark. That really says a lot about the fans and the fan base. That’s very much appreciated.”